SEATTLE — Starbucks Corp., taking a small step in an ambitious European expansion effort, said Wednesday it would acquire Seattle Coffee Co. of Britain in a stock swap worth about $84 million.
"Europe has always represented a major strategic opportunity to achieve our goal of creating and building an enduring global brand," Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz said. "This acquisition is a first step toward achieving our new goal of opening 500 retail locations in Europe by the end of 2003."
